I can't believe I've never blogged about QOTSA

This is not going to be a think piece.  And I think that's the point.

Look, I like a bit of Vaughan Williams. 'The lark ascending' and all that. But sometimes there's a need that even Led Zeppelin can't fill. Here's Queens of the Stone Age. Which basically means Josh Homme, who is a guy I wouldn't want to meet at noon in Death Valley, never mind in a dark alley. I do not see him going gentle into that goodnight.

Don't ask me why, but genre nazis have called this 'desert rock'.  I think I get some of that .... but I really don't think Los Angeles, out there on the Pacific coast and forever young, really looks into its interior and sees the desert that separates them from the great Midwest, heartland of dreams and bread basket of the entire world.  That breakfast cereal you're eating probably contains Kansas corn. 

The sonic landscape of this album is incredible.  Of course, for me the guitar is supreme, and here we have distortion within clarity and precision.  It's not just noise for noise's sake. 

This album has at least two classic tracks, but the whole thing is almost a concept album. There's 'First it giveth', and then there's 'Go with the flow' (it's at 27 minutes, it's amazing).  The official video for the latter has amazing graphics  ... but it's undoubtedly somewhat offensive. Be prepared:

Ok, after all that, I recommend you come down with some chilled music, or people are going to be looking at you weirdly all day.  I know I do.  Try some Labi Siffre or Joan Armatrading.